Machine for making bead chains.



W. W. BRADLEY.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BEAD CHAINS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.Z8,1913.

1 1%,253, Patented M112, 1915.

7 $HEETS-SHEET 1.

W. W. BRADLEY.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BBAD CHAINS.

APPLICATION TILED MAR. 28, 1918.

1 1L3QQ53 Patented M21122, 1915.

7 SHEET$SHEBT 2.

W. W. BRADLEY.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BEAD omms.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1913. 1,1 3&253, Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IV/YLNESSES: I [zVV NTOR.

- ATTORNEY.

W. W. BRADLEY.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BEAD CHAINS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1913 SEEETSTSHEET 4.

' ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

W. W. BRADLEY.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BEAD CHAINS.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 28, 1913.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

7 SHEETS3HEET 5 Maw ENTER.

A TTORNE )1 W. W. BRADLEY.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BEAD CHAINS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1913 1,1 30,253, Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

IVITNE I [NI/E TOR.

7277 {h i l W I A TTORN/E 1r.

W. W. BRADLEY.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BEAD CHAINS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. 1913.

1, 1 30,253, Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

7 SHEET$SHEET 7 UNITED STATES PA f FFICE WILLIAM W. BRADLEY, 0FSYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM L. DAY, OF SYRACUSE,NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BEAD CHAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

Application filed March 28, 1913. Serial Ho. 757,336.

' To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, \VILLIAM \V. BRAD- LEY,of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making BeadChains,of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in machines for makingbead chains of the class set forth in my Patent No. 1,051,384, issuedJanuary 28, 1913, and consisting briefly of a linear series of bar linksor stems having their adjacent ends provided with radially projectinglugs and flexibly unit-ed or coupled together by hollow sheet metalbeads embracing the lugs to form a continuous chain.

The main object of my present invention is to produce a machine capableof economically and expeditiously forming and assembling the links fromcontinuous stock strips or bars of metal so that the several mechanismsfor feeding, deforming and assembling such links will operateautomatically and in synchronism to produce a com pleted chain of anylength from the raw materials. In other words, I have sought to providesimple mechanical means for simultaneously forming and applying thebeads in sequence upon and to the finned ends of the previously formedbar-links or stems, thereby producing the finished chai without furthertreatment.

Another object is to assemble the links in such manner as to establish atwo-point bearing between each head and end of the stem to which it isswiveled for the purpose of reducing friction and increasing the degreeof angular adjustment of the links one upon the other. v

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawingsFigures 1 and 2 are respectively a front elevation and aside elevation of the cl1ain-forming machine embodying the variousfeaturesof my invention, the lower portion of the frame being brokenaway. Figs. 3 and 4 are a longitudinal vertical sectional view and ahorizontal sectional view of portions of the same machine takenrespectively on lines 3-3 and t-4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail horizontalsectional view taken on line 55, Fig. 1. Figs. (3, 7 and 8 are detailVertical sectional views taken respectively on lines 6(3, 77 and 88,Fig. 4. Fig. 9 is an enlarged top plan of the detached gripping andfeeding jaws for the partially formed beads showing also the supportingcarriage and means for opening and closing the jaws. Figs. 10 and 11 aredetail vertical sectional views taken respectively on lines 1010, Fig.2, and 1111, Fig. 4. Figs. 12 and 13 are detail vertical sectional viewstaken respectively on lines 1212 and 13l3, Fig. 4. Fig. 14 is aperspective view of one of the detached dies for forming the lugs on theends of the bar-links and partially severing said bars or links one fromthe other through and from the main wire. Fig. 15 is an enlarged detailsectional View of the dies for cupping the bead-blanks. Fig. 16 is anenlarged detail sectional view of the dies for forming the bead aroundthe finned ends of the bar-links. Fig. 17 is an enlarged top'plan of aseries of barlinks in process of formation showing the .dies forformingthe fins 0r lugs and also showing one of the beads in sectionupon the adjacent ends of the bar-links. Fig. 18 is an enlarged faceview of the adjacent ends of two of the bar-links just before separationand a sectional View of the spherical head, after being formed on saidends. Fig. 19 is'an enlarged perspective \iew of the completed bead andthe adjacent ends of the stems united thereby.

The beads, as -a, are preferably formed from thin, flat sheet metalstrips of brass or equivalent material of any desired length and of suchwidth as to reduce the waste to a minimum while the bar-links or stems,as b are usually made of brass wire or equivalent material of suitablegage so that the lugs may be struck up in a single operation from theends thereof and the ends severed one from the other without waste. Themachine herein illustrated is adapted to out, form, and assemble thelinks of the chain from continuous strips or wires which are deliveredthereto from suitable reels (not shown) and comprises separate feedingmeans for the strip and wire, 00- operative dies for cutting and cuppingthe bead-blanks, operating means for said dies, separate sets of diesfor cutting and forming the bar-links, operating means for thelink-forming dies, additional means for feeding the cupped bead-blanksto the finned ends of the bar-links, and further means for compressingthe cupped bead-blanks around and upon the finned ends of the bar-links.

Strip feeding means.The thin sheet metal strip, as a, previouslyreferred to may be mounted upon a suitable reel (not shown) at the frontof the machine and drawn rearwardly through guide ways -l by a pair offeeding rollers 2 which are journaled horizontally one above the otherin suitable bearings in upright brackets -3 on the main supporting frame4-, the bearings for the upper roller being adjustable by means ofscrews -5 to bringthe meeting faces of the rollers into grippingengagement with the strip, whereby said strip is fed flatwisehorizontally along and between the guides 1-. The feed rollers 2- arearranged at the rear of and in alinement with the guides 1 with theirmeeting faces in substantially the same horizontal plane as that. of theguides and are provided with axially extending spindles Q havingintermeshing gears 6 for rotating the rollers so that their meetingfaces travel rear- Wardly, the lower spindle 2 being provided with aratchet wheel 7 rigid thereon and adapted to be engaged by a slidingpawl 8 on the adjacent end of a rock arm 9-which in turn is connected bya link 10 to one end of a lever 11 having its opposite end provided witha stud or roller l2- riding in a cam groove 13 of a rotary disk -1=l.This disk 14 is secured to a horizontally disposed shaft 15 journaled insuitable hearings on the underside of the top of the frame 4- as shownmore clearly in Fig. 3 and is connected by beveled gears 16 to anupright shaft 17 which in turn is connected by beveled gears 18 to amain horizontal drivingshaft 19, the latter being journaled in suitablebearings in the upper end of a bracket 20- and is pro vided with adriving pulley 2ladapted to be connected by a'belt to any availablesource of power (not shown) the bracket 20- forming a part of and risingfrom the top of the main supporting frame -4- as shown more clearly inFigs. 2 and 3. The cam groove in the disk 1 l is arranged to rock thelever 11 upon its pivot .11- for imparting similar rocking movement tothe rock arm 9 which is journaled on the lower spindle 2 in closeproximity to the outer face of the ratchet pawl 7- and is provided witha lengthwise socket open at its inner end for receiving the pawl -8 anda suitable actuating spring 8'-, shown more clearly in Fig. 11, one sideof the teeth of the ratchet wheel and also one side of the tooth of thepawl being beveled to permit the pawl to ride over the face .of theteeth when the outer end of the rock arm is moved upwardly while theopposite sides of the teeth and pawl are preferably radial to cause thepawl to operate the ratchet wheel and its spindle when the outer end ofthe rock arm is drawn downwardly.

The rock arm 9 is provided with a radial lengthwise slot 9 for receivinga clamping screw 1() on the upper end of the link 10, thus permittingradial adjustment of the connection between the arm and link to vary thedegree of intermittent feeding movement of the feed rollers -2-according to the length of the sheet metal blank which is required toform the bead, the clamping bolt 10 being then tightened to hold thelink in its adjusted position.

The cam disk r1'-l and its connections with its driving mechanism areconstructed and timed so as to feed the strip intermittingly the desireddistance or rather the length of one of the bead blanks after thecutting and gripping dies presently described have been withdrawn fromtheir operative positions and before the next operation of such diestakes place and to cause the feeding rollers to remain at rest duringthe operation of said dies and for this purpose one side of the cam issomewhat flatter than the opposite side which is concentric with itsaxis of revolution, thereby causing the feeding, rollers to operaterapidly durthe short interval of separation of the ies.

Cutting and cupping dies for beadblrmlra-The guides 1 are arrangeddirectly in front and parallel with the direction of movement of themeeting faces of the feed rolls 2- and are spaced some distance apartfor receiving between them a relatively fixed female die -22-' and amale die 23- together with a cupping plunger 2- the guides -1 beingmounted upon the top of a hollow bracket or housing 25 which is securedto the top of the main sup orting frame. The die 22 is preferab made ofhardened steel and tightly fitted in an opening -26- in the top of thehousing 25 as shown more clearly in Fig. 7 and is provided with acentral opening 27- therethrcugh for receiving the super-posed male die23-.

and cupping plunger 24, the upper end of the opening being eiilarged andelongated transversely and of substantially the same size and form asthe coacting lower end of the male die 23 so that thc two dies when inoperative engagement shear with each other to cut the blank from thestrip to the desired form to form a hollow spherical head when operatedupon by other dies hereinafter described, the lower reend of the opening-2'7- are circular to conform to the curvature of the ends of thedeveloped sphere when divided on a meridian line, the front and rearwalls of said enlarged upper end of the opening being provided withopposite inwardly projecting ribs -28 shown somewhat exaggerated in Fig.4 for cutting recesses in the ends of the blank to form stem-receivingapertures in the completed spherical bead shown in Fig. 19. The die 22is of substantially the same thickness as the top of the housing 25 inwhich it is fitted and together with the male die 23- constitute thecutting dies for forming the bead-blank. The cupping plunger 24cooperates with an underlying coaxial plunger 29 for deforming the fiatblank into, a cup-shape form, as shown more clearly in Fig. 15, theupper end of the plunger 29 being provided with a spherical recess 30while the lower end of the cupping plunger --24 is also spherical but ofsmaller radius than that ofthe recess 30. The upper face of the femalecutting die 22 is substantially fiat and coincident. with the upper faceof the housing -25 which forms the bottom of the guide 1 along which thestrip for forming the bead-blanks is fed while the lower face of thesuperposed male die, which is movable vertically, is also substantiallyfiat and provided with lengthwise recesses 31- in diametrically oppositesides thereof conforming to and registering with the ribs -28 in thefront and rear walls of the enlarged upper end of the opening -27- so asto effect the cutting of the recesses in the ends of the bead blankpreviously referred to. The upper male cutting die 23 is also made ofhardened steel and securely fitted in a suitable socket 32- in the lowerend of a vertically movable cross head 33 as shown more clearly in Fig.3, said cross head being reciprocated by connecting rods 34 having theirupper ends journaled upon eccentrics -35 on the main driving shaft-l9,the eccentrics being of sufficient throw to move the lower end of thecutting die 23 into shearing engagement with its cooperative stationarydie 22 when forced to its operative position and to withdraw said die 23upwardly some distance above the guides -1- when in its extremeinoperative position.

The upper plunger 24 is movable independently of and through a centralguide rearwardly extending opening in the die 23 and for this purpose,its upper end is provided with a grooved head 36 for receiving a forkedlocking pin -37 which is slidably fitted in a diametrically extendingslot 38 in the lower end of a vertically movable plunger 39, Fig. 3, theupper end of said plunger 39v being connected by an adjustablescrew-link 40 to an eccentric t1- on the central portion of the maindriving shaft 19. The two eccentrics 35 are shown as somewhat differentbut are of the same throw, the difference being only for the purpose ofconvenience in permitting the use of another cam or eccentric foroperating the bead-finishing die hereinafter described. These cams 35and .tl are adjusted and timed so as to cause the upper cutting die 23to be moved" into shearing engagement with its coacting female die 22for cutting out the bead blank just in advance of the downward movementof the cupping plunger 24 which immediately follows the cuttingoperation of the die 23 to engage the central portion of the blank andforce said blank through the reduced circular portion of the opening27-just below the lower end of the die 22- at which time the plunger .29is moved upwardly by means of a cam 43 and plunger 44 and engagedtherewith. This cam ,43 is constructed and timed so as to move the lowercupping die 29 upwardly into engagement with the depressed centralportion of the bead blank just as the latter is forced through the lowerend of the opening 27 by the upper cupping plunger 24 as shown in Fig.15 ready to be carried laterally or transversely of the machine forapplication to the stems in a manner hereinafter described.

I have now described the mechanism for cutting and cupping thebead-blanks ready to be transferred and applied to the ends of thebar-links or stems but before describing the means for transferringthese cup-blanks, I will now proceed to describe the means for formingthe fins or lugs on the ends of the bar-links or stems. For this purposeI have provided the machine with a forwardly and guide 15 which islocated some distance to the right hand side of and parallel with theguide 1, Fig. 4, for receiving a continuous wire b' from the reel (notshown). This guide 4.-5 preferably consists of a hardened steel blockrigidly secured in a recess in the upper face of a forwardly andrearwardly movable carriage 4T which is guided in suitable ways ,48 onthe main supporting frame 4.- and adapted to be operated by a rockarm49+ having its lower end rigidly secured to a rockshaft 50 shown moreclearly in Figs. 1, 2, and 6, said rock shaft two-fold, namely beingjournaled upon the front side of the main supporting frame and isprovided at one end with a crank arm -51- connected .to one end of alink 52- having its opposite end adjustable and eccentrically connectedto a rotary disk 53 on the shaft 15. The object of the adjustableconnection between the link 52- and the disk 53 is to vary the throw orforward pawl being yieldingly held against the wire by means of a springE 5, Fig. 12. The disk 53 and its connection with the carriage 'l7constitutes means for intermittently feeding the wire to and between apair of coacting transversely movable gripping jaws -56- which areguided in suitable ways -57 on the top' of the frame B and are providedwith coacting dies -58- or hardened steel adjustably mount ed intransverse guides in the jaws '56 I and adapted to be adjusted and heldin their adjusted position by separate screws 60. The object of thesecoacting dies 58 is to sever the wire and to flatten the adjacent endsand thereby form diametrically opposite radially projecting fins or lugsthereon projecting some distance beyond the periphery of the wire toform abutments for the retention of the spherical {bead when molded toits spherical form therearound as will be hereinafter more fullyexplained. For this purpose the adjacent acting faces of the dies areprovided I with vertically elongated V-shaped ribs,

forming knives, having their cutting edges registering with each otherso as to cut through the wire from opposite sides, the remainingportions of the meeting faces of the dies at opposite sides of the ribsbeing substantially flat for flattening the adjacent ends of the wireand thereby striking up' the radially projecting lugs or 'finspreviously referred to simultaneously with, the cutting operation of theV-shape ribs. In practice, the jaws 5t3- and their dies 58-- areadjusted so as to cut from oppo site sides nearly through the wire,leaving an extremely thin web of just sufiicient thickness to hold theends together while the head is being formed around such ends andsufficiently thin to easily break when the chain is completed and thelinks flexed one upon the other, thereby separating the barlinks andallowing them to be turned or flexed relatively to each other in theopenings in the ends of the beads through which the cylindrical shanksof the bar-links proect.

The dies -'58 are preferably angular or square in cross section and areslidably fitted in correspondingly formed sockets in the jaws to holdthem against the'cutting edges of their knives in exact alinement saidd1es and also the adjusting screws being held in their adjustedpositions by set screws as shown more clearly in Fig. 8. s

The jaws -56 are located just at the rear of the wire guide 45 soas tosupport the meeting edges of the dies 58 in exact register or horizontalalinement with said guide and are adapted to be operated simultaneouslyand positively in reverse directions by a pair of upwardly convergmg'camplungers 61- which are movable with an easy sliding fit in correspondingupwardly turning withconverging guide ways -62-- in the outer ends ofthe jaws as shown more clearly in Fig. 8, the upper ends of said camplungers being rigidly but detachably secured to a. bracket 63 on thelowerendpf the cross head -33 for operating the jaws -56- to cut 'andform the bar links simultaneously with the cutting and cupping of thebead ing endsof the dies -58, the purpose of the dies 6l.and -65 beingto crimp or close thecup shaped bead blanks around and upon the adjacentlugged ends of the bar links. The bead finishing dies -6 1' and G5 arealso made of hardened steel, the die -64- being secured to the upperendof a vertically-movable plunger -66 which is guided in suitable waysor openings perposed block or housing 25- and is actuated positivelyinboth directions by a rotary --cam 68 on the shaft 15 as shown in Fig. 6.The upper die 65+ is secured to the lower end of a-vertically movableplunger -69, Fig. 3, having its upper end connected by a link 70-: to aneccentric -71' on the main driving shaft -1 9 whereby positive'reciflrocatory movement is imparted to the upper die advancedintermittingly the length of -65- having 67- in the frame --4 and su-'justed and timed so as to cause the meeting ends of the dies 64 and 65'to act upon opposite sides of the cupped blank and at opposite sides of.the adjacent ends of the bar-links as the latter are fed into positionbetween the dies 64 and 65 in a manner presently described for crimpingor bending the cupped blanks around and upon the ends of said links.

After the bead blanks are cut by the dies 22- and Q3 and cupped by theplungers 24 and 29, the cupped-blanks are left between and gripped by apair of jaws .72 and thereby carried laterally or'to the right (Fig. 4)from the dies 22 and Q3 to a point between and in alinement with thefinishing dies 6-1- and 65 directly beneath the adjacent ends of thelink-bars which are then in position between said finishing dies toreceive the finished bead. For this purpose, the jaws 72- are formedupon the right hand ends of a pair of levers 73, Fig. 9, which leversare pivoted to each other and to a transversely movable carrier 74.- bymeans of a pivotal pin or bolt 75, said lversbeing also provided withheel extensions -76 at the opposite side of and somewhat shorter thanthe arms on which the jaws 72- are formed. The carrier 74 is slidablymounted in and upon a reciprocatory cross head 77 within the housing Q5,said cross head being guided upon a suitable way -78 on the top of themain frame .4. as shown more clearly in Figs. 3, 7, and 9 andis'actuated by a cam 79- on the upright shaft 17, Fig. 3. This carriage-74 is reciprocated by and through the greater part of the movement ofthe cross head 77 but has a slight independent movement relativelythereto for effecting the opening and closing of the aws 72 and for thispurpose the cross head is provided with a pair of studs or pins 80 and-81. arran ed one in advance of the other in the direction of movementof said cross head and projecting between the shorter and longer arms ofthe leversf 73- at opposite sides of their pivot --75- for engagementwith cam shoulders 82 and 83 respectively. The shoulders 82 and 83- arealso located at opposite sides of the pivot 75for the levers a distanceslightly-less than the distance between the centers of the correspondingstuds 80.-

and 81 so that when the jaw levers 73 are moved to their extreme righthand position as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 9 for registration of thepreviously formed cupped bead blanks with the ends of the bar links, thestud or pin -80- will have moved therebetween to the inner ends of theshoulders -82 while the other pin 81 will have moved beyond theshoulders 83 for forcing the jaws open and thereby releasing the cuppedblank ready to be operated upon by the dies 64 and the jaws 7Q-- havingtheir adjacent faces recessed to more efiectively retain the cuppedblank between them as the blank is fed from the dies 22 and 28 to thefinishing dies 64- and 65. The opposite ends of the carriage -7 t areprovided with longitudinally elongated slots for receiving the pins 80and -.81-, the inner ends of the slots being spaced apart a distanceless than the distance between the inner faces of-the pins so as toallow for the limited relative endwise movement of the carriagepreviously referred to and, when the carriage is moved to its extremeposition toward the finishing dies in the manner just previouslydescribed, the pin 80 will have engaged the inner end wallof its slotwhile the other pin will have been moved a short distance from the innerend of the corresponding slot, the forward movement of the carriage inthe direction referred to being limited by a stop -89 on the mainsupporting frame and adapted to engage the forward end of a lug 90 onthe carriage as shown more clearly in 'Figs. 1, 3' and 9. Now, as thecross head -77 is withdrawn by its operating cam 79, the frictionalengagement of the carriage therewith will cause said carriage to alsoreturn until the opposite end of its lu -90 encounters the opposing stop89, both of said stops being mounted upon a connecting bar which issecured for lengthwise adjustment to the underside of the overhangingportion of the upright bracket 20 as shown more clearly in- Figs. 1 and3. As soon as the lug -90 encounters the limiting stop 89-'- on thereturn movement of the carriage and cross head, the carriage will bestopped from further return movement, thereby .alining the jaws 72 withthe cutting and cupping dieswhile the cross head will continue to move ashort distance farther in the same direction or until its pin 81-reaches the inner end of the corresponding slot in the adjacent end ofthe carriage. During this extra movement of the cross head to the limitof its return position after the carriage is stopped, the pins 80 and-81 will be moved a corresponding dis- -tween the jaws, the frictionalengagement between the carriage and cross head will cause said carriageto move therewith until the forward end 'of the lug 90-- encounters theforward stop 89-- which stops the carriage at theproper time forregistering the cupped blank with the finishing dies 6l and whereuponthe continued movement of the cross head a short distance in thesamedirection shifts the pins .80 and S1 to the position shown'in Figs.3

and 9, thereby opening the jaws in the manner previously described, thislatter action being timed so as to take place just. after the finishingdies -64 and 65- have been brought into position for closing the beadupon the lugged ends of the bar links.

The operation briefly described is as follows: The metal strip forforming the heads is inserted by hand in'its guide while the machine isat rest and the dies withdrawn from their operative position until theforward end of the strip is caught between the feedlng rollers 2--. In asimilar manner, the wire for forming the bar links is fed by hand intoits guide until it is in position to be engaged by the feeding pawls 5L,whereupon the machine may be started to automatically form the-beadsandbar links assembled one upon the other in the manner 7 previouslydescribed, several mechanisms being synchronized and timed so as tooperate without interference one with. the other.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for making bead chains,

coacting dies for cutting sheet-metal beadblanks, additional dies forcupping the blanks, means for forming bar-links with end heads,additional means for feeding the v cupped bead-blanks into position tobe apphedto the links, and separate means for closin the cupped blanksonto the bar-links.

2. machine forfforming bead chains comprising wire feeding means,mechanism for cutting the wire into-relativel short lmks, cu ping-diesfor the bead-blanks, and means blanks to the adjacent ends of adjacentlinks.

or applying the cupped bead-.

ends of bar-links, means for feeding. the displaced cupped blanks ,tothe last named dies, and additional means for closing the cupped blankonto the lugged ends of the bar-links.

5. A machine for making bead chains comprising dies for closing beadblanks upon the links, link-heading dies at one side of thebead-closingdies, and means for feeding a wire to the heading dies and thence to thebead closing dies.

6. In a machine for making bead chains,

the combination with intermittingly movable wire-feeding means ofseparate means for partially cutting the wire into small links andsimultaneously heading the links while the wire-feeding means is atrest, additional means for feeding cupped beadblanks into registrationwith adjacent heads of the links after' the latter are displaced fromthe heading means, and separate dies for closing the cupped bead-blanksupon the heads of the links.

7. In a machine for making bead chains, the combination with means forfeeding a strip of metal lengthwise intermittingly, coacting dies forcutting and-cupping beadblanks fromthe stripwhile the latter is at rest,means for feeding the cupped blanks to a predetermined position,separate means for depositing the ends of headed links into WILLIAM .W.BRADLEY. Witnesses:

H. E. Cnasn, EVA 'E. Grammar.

